Sad news from this morning – Mr. Wojciech Inglot, founder and owner of Inglot Cosmetics, died yesterday in a hospital in Przemysl, Poland. He was 58 years old.

The Polish Press Agency (PAP) as well as many other sources state this morning that Mr. Wojciech Inglot, founder and owner of Inglot Cosmetics died in Przemysl, Poland at age 58 yesterday, on February 23rd. The company led by Mr. Inglot known by his last name is providing state of the art cosmetics, in particular famous nail polish, to 46 countries around the world. It is sad to hear that a great businessman, entrepreneur and Pole passes away at such young age.

Mr. Wojciech Inglot

Mr. Inglot spent his life in Przemysl, a small city in southern Poland. Often considered as Poland class B (meaning the “worse” part of Poland from an economical perspective) he must have often heard that business around there would stand no chance in the regional, not to mention the global, market.

Being raised in communist Poland must have been quite difficult for an entrepreneur mind but Mr. Inglot, who obtained his masters degree in chemistry at the Jaggielonian University in Krakow seemed to be unstoppable. He started his employment in Polfa, a government owned company dealing with chemical products.

He decided to start his own company in 1983 and worked on turning it into a global enterprise ever since.

Inglot Cosmetics

Mr. Inglot’s company started out with manufacturing a chemical compound for the cleaning of audio tapes in 1983. To do that, he used surplus equipment bought from Polfa, where he was previously employed.

However, it was the cosmetic business which seemed most appealing to the Inglot family. After having seen all the cosmetics stores is the USA, Mr. Inglot decided to go in that particular direction.

Manufacturing was one thing, but distribution was key. Inglot Cosmetics started to sell its products on islands within large shopping centers in Poland. At those stands, the company has been seen by Canadian businessmen, who proposed the company to move to Canada. From there, Inglot Cosmetics expanded into Dubai and around the world.

The opening of an Inglot store on Manhattan has led the company’s way into the luxurious world of American pop idols. Currently, the company has a total of over 300 stores and outlets in 46 countries all around the world.

It was Mr. Inglot’s pride that the entire manufacturing process was done in the European Union with over 95% being done in his home town Przemysl.

The story of Inglot Cosmetics is one of the few stories that can really get one’s hopes up in leading a successful business regardless of how difficult the starting conditions may be. Polish business is slowly, but with great certainty, making its ways into global markets. It is very saddening that the leader of such a great company has passed away, but I am very hopeful that the rest of the Inglot family will lead the company to even greater success in the future.